Filling in courtyards

[Detroitman32]

Would anyone know of a way to build over courtyards in buildings, like the David Whitney as to eliminate them and turn them into usable space?

This could make them viable.

[Russix]

Basically you build another building without an exterior and join it to the existing structure. I can't remember if the David Whitney is an atrium or a large lobby with open space. Either way it's an absolutely beautiful space and filling it in would be a crime against architecture. It's not like we have a shortage of space so I fail to see how adding a miniscule amount of space makes anything more viable.

[pkbroch]

The David Whitney has the prettiest Atrium in the city. The tile and marble are magnificent.

If the atrium was filled in, if possible the building interior appearance would be ruined. Just another average building.

p.s. The three really overworked words on threads at DY, are in my opinion, Viable and Sustainable with Walkable running a close third.

[Blueidone]

I was in a building in Southfield [[I think) once where the courtyard was covered in glass "pyramids" for lack of a better description. I don't know if it was put there during construction or after, but it made a bright, sunny, plant-filled sitting area between the corridors of what was a square building.

I think it was on Telegraph...somewhere north of 12 Mile...but I really can't remember where right now.

Don't know if this helps....

[Detroitman32]

I don't want to destroy the lobby, just to fill in the floors above it.



Getting rid of this would be a crime, just the unused space above it.

[ConantNHolbrook]

I was in a building in Southfield [[I think) once where the courtyard was covered in glass "pyramids" for lack of a better description. I don't know if it was put there during construction or after, but it made a bright, sunny, plant-filled sitting area between the corridors of what was a square building.

I think it was on Telegraph...somewhere north of 12 Mile...but I really can't remember where right now.

Don't know if this helps....

The Town Center has a glass covered atrium between two of the towers. It's a nice all-weather venue for Chamber of Commerce conventions, etc. Lodge and Evergreen.

[royce]

Every time I see the atrium of the David Whitney Building [[DWB), my first thought is, "This would make a great space for a hotel." I don't know if the DWB can be converted into a hotel, but anybody thinking about renovating it should consider it.

[REL]

Would anyone know of a way to build over courtyards ...and turn them into usable space? This could make them viable.

To me, courtyards and atriums *are* usable space. And if the rest of the building isn't viable, then destroying those spaces won't make it any more so.

[canuck]

This atrium with accessible offices on different levels reminds me of a hotel in Montreal [[Mount Royal Hotel now the Cours Mont-Royal) that was remodeled into a high-end shopping mall and condos downtown. A nice old building from 1922 it was almost a city block long and a full block in width and had eleven hundred rooms. They did a nice job of it although they needed to gut the interior in order to create an atrium space with balustrades and grand staircases. The Whitney doesnt have to be touched, it has beautiful detailing. You can imagine small boutiques on every level and condos on top floors

[DetroitPlanner]

why 'fill-in?' its not like we don't have a bunch off office space being used. The market would not call for this.

As a boy my dentist was in the Whitney Building. The building functions just fine. Too many walls for today's open floor plans, by having a courtyard you get many more windows in a building, allowing a lot more light into the interior and reducing the need for electric lighting.

[gazhekwe]

I worked on the third floor of the GM Bldg, now Cadillac Center. There had been a large open space in the middle of that floor, whether for light or display or a car elevator I am not sure. They "filled it in" to make office space, but is wasn't as strong as the rest of the building. That was the space they chose for our filing system, and we couldn't use the space that had been filled in, as it wasn't certified to hold that much weight.

That picture you show looks like a beautiful space. The architect designed it for light and space to reach all the floors. The space is being used for that purpose.

[ghettopalmetto]

Would anyone know of a way to build over courtyards in buildings, like the David Whitney as to eliminate them and turn them into usable space?

This could make them viable.

To answer the question--without opining on whether or not it should be done with the Whitney Building--you add structural steel framing to the area occupied by the courtyard. The new framing would connect to existing columns at the perimeter of the atrium, which are obscured by finish materials.

Add metal deck over the structural steel framing, pour a concrete slab, and voila!

The columns and foundations, of course, would have to be checked to ensure they can support the additional load.